The redevelopment of a former illegal dumping ground in North Lawndale into two 181,000-square-foot industrial buildings will receive $8 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) assistance approved by City Council today.

The $85 million project, planned by 548 Development and Related Midwest for 21 acres of vacant City land on the northwest corner of Roosevelt Road and Kostner Avenue, will accommodate light manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics-oriented uses.

Estimated to create up to 240 permanent jobs and more than 200 construction jobs, the solar-powered complex will also include a pair of 5,000-square-foot innovation centers that would be used for workforce training and special events for neighborhood residents.

Owned by the City and consisting of 25 individual parcels, the land was home to an illegal dump in the 1990s that led to the conviction of multiple public officials. Given site conditions, the TIF assistance will help pay for site preparation and environmental remediation costs. Each parcel will also be sold to the development team for $1.

The project was the winning response to a Request for Proposals issued for the site by the Department of Planning and Development in September 2020 through Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West neighborhood revitalization initiative.

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